THE BURN

Kathy De

A mishap forces Vincent to help Catherine and their relationship takes an unexpected leap in the right direction.

Catherine sat in misery on the edge of her bed. She slowly pulled her satin nightgown down over her head. She winced as the slim spaghetti straps of the gown scraped across her shoulders. Just then a quiet knock came at her balcony door. "Oh, great," she thought. She stood and drew the matching robe over her shoulders and gathered it loosely around her as she shuffled to the door. Opening it, she made her way out to the balcony.

"Hi, Vincent."

Normally Catherine flew into his arms to greet him. Vincent cocked his head curiously at her, wondering about her strange welcome. "Good evening, Catherine."

She managed a slight smile as she turned away to lean against the half wall. Vincent frowned at her behavior and reached out through the bond trying to ascertain her feelings. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The only feeling he was getting was discomfort and Catherine looked perfectly fine to him.

"Catherine, I know you asked me to stop by tonight but if it’s a bad time I can come another night."

She felt miserable and knew she wouldn’t be very good company tonight and tears swam in her eyes as she looked up at him and nodded. "Okay."

Vincent stepped forward immediately concerned. "Catherine, what is it?"

Vincent normally didn’t initiate their embraces and he had only recently started to do so. It was only in the past few months or so that their relationship had started to grow stronger. Now he felt comfortable with her and bravely tried to put his arms around her but Catherine screamed out and pushed him away. He looked down at her in horror. "I’m sorry. I’ll go now."

Catherine blinked when in one quick step, he turned from her. She realized too late what he must’ve thought and he was almost over the side when her voice stopped him.

"Vincent, no! I’m sorry."

He hesitated and came back over the side but stood far away from her, looking at the ground. "Catherine, you don’t have to..."

"No, listen to me please!"

The tears fell from her eyes as she looked at him in misery. He cocked his head curiously and nodded his acquiescence. She smiled sadly. "Vincent, I didn’t mean to push you away but when you put your arms around me you hurt me."

Vincent immediately looked at his hands and at the look of horror on his face, Catherine quickly explained. "No, I didn’t mean you hurt me...well, yes I did...oh for Pete’s sake...Vincent, I got burned today."

"Burned?"

Catherine nodded miserably. "Yes, a sunburn."

"A sunburn?"

In her pain, Catherine lost her patience. "Will you quit repeating everything I say? Yes, a sunburn! It’s all over my back and shoulders and down the backs of my legs."

Catherine turned around and lowered her robe down off her shoulders. Vincent looked down at the intense red color that was all over her neck and shoulders. The same color ran down her back and disappeared below her gown. He had never experienced a sunburn but even he could tell it looked painful.

"Oh, Catherine. How can I help?"

She shrugged as she gasped and drew the robe back over her shoulders. "You can’t. It’ll be painful for a few days, then it’ll go away."

He nodded, fully understanding now why she pulled away. "How did it happen? I mean...I know how it happened..."

She rolled her eyes in embarrassment. "Are you nicely trying to ask how someone as seemingly intelligent as myself could allow something like this to happen?" She shook her head in disgust. "Jenny and I went to the beach. We slathered on plenty of lotion and we were having a pleasant day, until we turned over and fell asleep. Her back matches mine."

He smiled ruefully. "I’m sorry. Is it very painful?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I wish there was something I could do..."

Catherine looked at him quizzically. He caught the look in her eye and cocked his head. "Is there? Is there something I can do for you?"

Catherine hesitated briefly then shook her head no.

Vincent knew she was holding something back. "Are you sure? I want to help if I can."

She looked at him hopefully. "Well, there is one thing..."

He sensed that she was still hesitant so he took her hand and smiled, prompting her further. "Catherine, please you must tell me."

"Vincent, could you put some cream on my back?"

He took a step back and looked at her. Catherine saw the fear in his eyes and quickly shook her head. "It’s okay, I’ll figure out another way. I shouldn’t have asked."

She looked away but not before Vincent could see the disappointment flicker in her eyes. He released the breath he was holding then filled his lungs with another deep breath. With a sigh of resignation, he looked at her. He knew she was in pain and he couldn’t allow it to continue if it was in his power to stop it. He bravely pushed forward.

"What would I have to do?"

Catherine looked at him cautiously. The fear was gone from his eyes but he had such a look of fierce determination that she began to giggle. He blinked in disbelief at her apparent amusement at the situation which caused her to laugh even harder. Her shoulders began to shake and she winced as the straps dug into the burn again.

"Ouch!"

Vincent stepped forward again. "Catherine..."

She looked at him apologetically. "Sorry. I bought a jar of cream that normally helps with sunburn. I just need you to spread it on my back and shoulders."

He nodded then remembered what her back looked like and he wondered how far down it went. "How...how much of your back has been burned?"

Catherine grimaced. "All of it! Jenny and I untied our tops so that we wouldn’t get a tan line!" She chuckled. "I guess I don’t have that to worry about."

Vincent’s stomach flip flopped as the image of Catherine and Jenny lying in the sand with their tops undone blazed in his mind. He cleared his throat so he could speak. "And I’m supposed to spread this cream on your entire back?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes. I thought that I could maybe lie face down on the bed, cover myself with a towel...then if you would...you know..." As the fear returned to his eyes, she stopped and thought for a second. Her face brightened as she came up with another solution. "You know...I have a backless nightgown, I could put that on..."

Vincent nodded quickly in relief. "That perhaps is a better idea."

"If I did it would you come inside?"

Vincent thought for a second, loath to deny her simple request. Catherine knew Vincent was uncomfortable with the thought of coming inside and searched her mind for yet another solution.

She smiled and shook her head. "Actually, as long as the gown is backless, you could probably put the cream on out here." Before he could change his mind she turned. "I’ll be right back."

Catherine went to her bureau and dug out the backless nightgown. She headed to the bathroom and cried out as she struggled to get her old gown off. The new one slipped on more easily and thankfully it had a halter top. She sighed at the open air on her back. She looked at the robe pooled at her feet and knew that once the cream was applied she wouldn’t put it back on. She grabbed the cream off the counter in the bathroom and headed to the balcony.

Vincent jumped when he felt her return. Catherine normally wore a robe with her gowns, he looked at her in the satin backless gown and his heart began to thump wildly as he quickly averted his eyes. Catherine winced in pain as she reached out with her arm to hand him the cream, her face pale from the strain. Vincent’s concern for her forced him to settle his nerves as he got to the task at hand. He opened the jar and looked at the cream inside.

Catherine smiled and nodded. "Dig in, grab a glob and start slathering." She turned away and looked out over the city. "Just go easy."

Vincent did as she advised and felt the cool white cream on his fingertips. He put his hand up to her shoulder and hesitated. "Catherine, I don’t want to hurt you."

"Vincent, nothing you do could possibly make it hurt worse then it already does."

Vincent placed his fingertips on her shoulder. She flinched but stayed still. As he slowly moved the cream around her slender shoulders, she moaned. The coolness in the cream was already soothing the burning sensation. He efficiently moved from area to area carefully spreading the cream on one shoulder then the other. He could feel the heat coming from her back and marveled at the damage the sun could do. He had to sit in a chair to see what he was doing as he started to move his way down her back, gently applying cream to all the exposed areas. He often went back and dipped his fingers for more cream until he had generously covered her back.

He finished and looked at her back satisfactorily. "It’s done. Do you feel any better?"

"Oh, Vincent, I wish I could tell you how much better it feels. Thank you, I don’t know what I would have done without you."

He held up his hand covered with cream. Catherine handed him a towel. "It’s a moisturizer, you can rub it into your hands, or if you want you can wash your hands in the bathroom."

Vincent rubbed his hands vigorously together until the cream had soaked in. Catherine sat down carefully in the chair across from him. She had perfect posture as she sat straight up, not allowing the back of the chair to touch her.

"Perhaps I should leave so you can get some rest..."

"Please stay! I won’t sleep tonight anyway. I’ll never be able to lie down..."

Vincent nodded his head in understanding, while Catherine looked miserably at the floor. "How could I have been so stupid? I’ve never fallen asleep in the sun before, I know the risks!"

"You and Jenny must have both be exhausted. I imagine she keeps the same hours as you."

Catherine nodded her answer then lowered her head again. "We were going to do so much this weekend. I’m sorry I ruined our plans."

Vincent shook his head trying to dispel her sadness. "Catherine, it’s an unfortunate accident. There will be other weekends."

Catherine ignored him and looked out at the lights, thinking aloud. "Maybe...I can still come Below. If I put on loose clothing and don’t wear a bra..."

Catherine rambled on as she spoke of her clothing choices. Vincent blushed and looked away as images raced through his mind. Catherine, who was oblivious to his state of mind, wondered why he had grown quiet but she still hadn’t caught on to the reason.

She turned sideways to look at him. "Is that okay with you, Vincent?"

Vincent looked at her with a question in his eyes. "I’m...sorry, my mind wandered for a moment. Is what okay, Catherine?"

Catherine smiled and touched his arm. "Is it okay with you if I still come Below? We can’t do everything we originally planned but if you wouldn’t mind maybe we could spend some quiet time in our favorite places."

Vincent smiled and nodded. "You know you will always be welcome Below. Perhaps a relaxing day by the Mirror Pool followed by a concert in the park, if I’m not mistaken, there is one scheduled for tomorrow night."

Catherine’s eyes lit up. "I’d forgotten! You’re not mistaken, there is a concert scheduled. Thank you, Vincent. Maybe we’ll be able to salvage this weekend after all."

She impulsively reached up and kissed his cheek. Not wanting to let him make a fuss she turned quickly before he could react. "Maybe we could have a picnic by the waterfall, then I’ll bring some things for us to enjoy at the concert."

Vincent’s cheek still tingled where she had kissed it but he silently nodded in agreement. Catherine reached for him and he watched as she winced in pain, a jolting reminder to her of her carelessness.

"Catherine, perhaps you should pack more of the cream as well, I have a feeling you’re going to need it."

Catherine’s eyes had filled with tears but she blinked them away. "I will."

Vincent cocked his head. "I could read to you for awhile, perhaps if you could sit on a blanket..."

Catherine nodded and went inside the doorway. She returned with a blanket. Vincent took it from her then spread it out on the balcony floor. Catherine lowered herself to it gingerly then Vincent sat down close to her. Catherine smiled gratefully. She was happy he sat near her, she was hoping she wouldn’t have to scoot over and bridge the gap between them like she usually did.

Vincent settled back and opened the book and Catherine was able to lean against him. Her back was open to the air and the gentle breeze helped cool the fire that was still burning there. Vincent began to read and Catherine eventually closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep.

Vincent read for another hour. He knew Catherine was exhausted and he didn’t want her spending the night on the balcony. He turned his head and spoke quietly into her hair. "Catherine, I think you should get some rest."

"Hmmm."

"Come on, I’ll help you get up."

Catherine leaned upright and winced as pain shot across her back. "Ouch!"

Vincent stood up then leaned over and placed his hands on either side of her waist. "Can you put your arms around my neck, Catherine?"

She tried and cried out then shook her head. Vincent thought of another way. "Grab onto my shirt and hold tight."

Catherine did and Vincent tightened his grip and easily lifted her to a standing position.

"Thank you, Vincent. I guess I probably shouldn’t have sat so low to the ground."

"I’ll go now, you should get some sleep."

Catherine stepped forward and put her head against his chest. Vincent’s arms stayed on her waist as he tucked her head under his chin. "Feel better."

She stepped back, nodded and smiled as he turned to leave. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Catherine."

*****************************

Vincent headed to the library to tell Father he was back from Catherine’s.

Father smiled when his son walked in. "Ahh, Vincent, I trust you had a good evening with Catherine..."

Knowing it was more a statement then a question, Vincent decided to answer anyway. "I always enjoy my visits with Catherine. Although, I believe tonight there was very little about the evening for her to enjoy."

Father looked back up from his book and furrowed his brow. He worried that something bad had happened. Catherine always enjoyed Vincent’s company. "Why’s that?"

"She was at the beach today and got burned."

Father raised his eyebrows, immediately concerned. "Sunburned?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, all over her back and shoulders and down her legs."

"Is it bad?"

Vincent shrugged. "Catherine’s actions lead me to believe it’s quite painful."

"Well, I know it’s painful... I meant how badly is she burned? Did you see it?"

"Yes, I put cream on her back for her."

"Well, how’d it look?"

Vincent shook his head in exasperation. "I don’t know...I’ve only ever seen a few children with reddened cheeks, I have nothing to compare it to..."

Father leaned forward. "Vincent, I don’t want to alarm you but sunburns can be very severe. It’s much the same as any other burn, sometimes they blister and drain. Sometimes the person gets high fever and vomits."

Vincent blinked in surprise. "Catherine didn’t have any of those symptoms."

"What about blisters?"

"We were on her balcony, it’s normally quite dark..."

Father nodded and looked away thoughtfully. "Well, perhaps if she’s not better tomorrow she should go to see Peter."

"Father, Catherine is spending the day Below tomorrow, perhaps if you wouldn’t mind...?"

Father waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, of course, Vincent. Bring her to me either way and I’ll see if she lets me take a look at her back." A thought came into Father’s mind. "You say you put cream on her back?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes, she said it was a special cream for sunburns. It seemed to help."

A picture of Catherine with her back exposed as Vincent rubbed her full of cream had Father wondering just how far their relationship had progressed. He shook his head, trying to clear the image and wisely decided to keep his opinions to himself "Yes, well...I imagine the relief was only temporary. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow."

Vincent kissed his father’s forehead. "Thank you, Father. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Vincent."

Vincent turned and left as a small smile crept onto Father’s face. "Pleasant dreams..." He chuckled quietly under his breath.

****************************

Catherine slept restlessly, the pain in her back waking her often. In the early morning hours she finally fell into a deep sleep but the phone ringing a short time later had her moaning aloud as she reached for her receiver.

"Hello."

"My back hurts so much!"

"Hi, Jen. Mine too!"

"Cath, I’m going to have to go to the doctor. I woke up this morning and have blisters all over my shoulders. I got burned worse than I thought."

Catherine got up and stood in front of the mirror and glanced at her shoulders. She gasped when she saw blisters there as well. "Oh, no! Me too! How could we have been so stupid?"

Jenny chuckled. "At least we were both stupid together. Do you want to come with me to the doctor?"

Catherine thought of Father. She wondered how much experience he had with sunburns then shrugged and decided to take a chance. "No, Jen. I’ll go see Peter."

Catherine felt guilty for a few seconds lying to Jenny but then realized if Father didn’t know how to handle it, he would consult with Peter anyway.

"You take it easy today, okay?"

"You too, bye Jen. Thanks for calling."

Catherine hung up the phone and headed for the shower. Luckily, she had installed a shower head that could be removed so she was able to wash her hair and clean her body with little water contact to her back. She walked to the closet and took out a button up the front blouse that was too big for her. "At least it won’t be digging into me. I hope it keeps me warm enough," she thought aloud. She moaned as she struggled to get it over her shoulders. She threw on some oversized pants grateful that the material would not cling to her legs. She looked at the mirror and stuck her tongue out at the image. "Not exactly the seductive look I hoped for but at least the burn doesn’t hurt."

Catherine headed to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and some chocolate she had bought for a special occasion. She opened her drawer and took the bottle opener out and packed it and all of the rest of the items into a small duffel bag.

She walked to a shelf in her living room and grabbed a book she had found last week in an antique shop. She hoped Vincent hadn’t read it yet and they could discover it together. She walked out of her apartment and then rolled her eyes at her forgetfulness and turned around to go back to her bathroom to grab the sunburn cream.

Catherine groaned in pain as she made her way down the ladder. Two rungs down, she felt hands grasp her waist and she smiled as she released the bars, same in the knowledge that Vincent would bring her down safely.

Her feet touched the ground and she looked up into his eyes. "Hi, thanks for the lift."

"You were in pain."

"Yeah, it hurt worse then I thought it would. I should have walked to the park entrance but it’s such a nice day, I was afraid there would be too many eyes about."

"It does present a problem when the park is busy."

Vincent bent over and took the bag from Catherine’s hands then reached out with his free hand and took her hand in his. He turned and headed towards the home tunnels.

"How are you feeling today?"

Catherine shrugged, unwilling to complain. "Okay."

Vincent looked down at her and tried to see her eyes. Catherine wouldn’t look at him so he suspected she was withholding the truth. "Father said he would take a look at the burn if you wanted him to."

Catherine nodded ruefully. "I suppose that would be best. It’s gotten worse."

Vincent looked at her with alarm. "Blisters?"

With tears in her eyes, she nodded again. "Yes."

"Then we should see him right away."

Catherine took a few steps then stopped. "Vincent? Um...you may want to ask if he wouldn’t mind meeting us in the hospital chamber."

Vincent squeezed her hand, immediately concerned. "Catherine, are they that bad?"

Tears fell onto her cheeks. "Yes! They’re oozing all kinds if stuff. I can feel the back of my shirt starting to stick to me."

Vincent bent over and tapped out a message on the pipes. He turned back to her and scowled. "I wish I could hold you and make the pain go away." Instead he had to settle for wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Father will be waiting."

Catherine let him take the lead the rest of the way home.

*********************************

Father and Mary were sitting in the hospital chamber waiting for Vincent and Catherine. Father frowned as they walked in noticing immediately that Catherine appeared to be pale.

"Well now young lady, have we learned from our mistake?"

Catherine looked up sheepishly and nodded. "Yes."

Mary shook her head and came forward. "Jacob, enough! She feels miserable as it is." Mary turned to Catherine. "Come dear. Let’s get you into something that you can wear so Father can see how much damage you’ve done."

Mary led Catherine behind the curtain. She helped Catherine wiggle out of her clothing. Catherine turned around and Mary caught sight of her back and gasped.

"My goodness!"

Catherine nodded. "Lovely isn’t it."

Mary shook her head and clucked her disapproval then handed Catherine a sheet to cover her front. "Cover yourself and sit up on the table."

Catherine did as she was told as Mary disappeared around the drawn curtain. Mary walked to the supply cabinet and talked to Father completely ignoring Vincent.

"The poor dear, huge bubbling blisters, some broken open, some not. Her shirt must have rubbed her all the way here, her skin looks raw in some places. She’s in a lot of pain."

Father sighed and looked at Vincent. "This may take awhile. Please go and find Catherine something more suitable to wear."

Vincent nodded and left.

Mary walked up with some gauze and ointments. "I’m ready, Father."

Father nodded. "Good let me wash my hands and I can get a look at our patient."

Father scrubbed his hands and put on protective gloves. He walked around the corner of the curtain and gasped. "Dear God!"

Catherine looked over her shoulder and grimaced. "With that kind of a reaction it’s good that you play chess not poker."

Father ignored her attempt at a joke. "Cathy, your burns are very severe!"

Catherine sighed and looked down. "That’s what I was afraid of...should I go to the hospital?"

Father came closer and extensively looked at her back. With a sigh, he finally responded. "No, I think we can handle it from here. We’re going to have to keep a constant eye on it. I should check it a least twice a day, if possible three times a day."

"I have work in two days."

Father looked at her thoughtfully. "Well, maybe by Monday we can get this to look a little better. If you promise to come before work and after work..." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe..." He seemed to be thinking about it then finally nodded. "Yes, I think we will be able to successfully treat this."

"Thank you, Father."

Father turned to the tray Mary had prepared and distractedly answered her. "Hmmm..." He looked at her back again. "This is probably going to be painful. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can but..."

Father’s voice trailed off as he realized she would be hurt regardless of how careful he was.

Catherine finished his sentence. "But you can’t make any promises. Its okay, Father, I know it will hurt. Let’s just get it over with."

Catherine bowed her head and waited for the pain. Father started dabbing at her back with cloths soaked in water. He needed to clean the area as best he could. Catherine held her breath and chewed her bottom lip. She had yet to vocalize her pain but Mary could see that they were coming close to a more painful area of the back. She had heard Vincent return earlier.

"Father?"

Years of working closely together enabled Father to know what Mary was asking. He frowned and looked again at the raw area then reluctantly nodded his acquiescence. Mary went to talk to Vincent. He stood up as she approached.

"Vincent, Father is getting to a rough area on Catherine’s back. It’s going to be quite painful to clean. He has agreed that you may come in to sit with Catherine to support her."

Vincent nodded gratefully. "She’s in a lot of pain already."

"It’s going to get worse."

Vincent followed Mary around the curtain and got his first good look at Catherine’s back. Clearly distressed, he allowed a moan to escape. Father shot him a warning look and Vincent nodded then went to sit if front of Catherine.

She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Hi, it must be getting to a bad part if they’ve called in reinforcements."

Vincent cocked his head and smiled that she could read him so well. "You could tell?"

"I can see the worry in your eyes."

Vincent reached and took her hands into his own. He looked up and nodded at Father. Father sighed and started to clean her back again. Catherine hissed and leaned forward putting her head against Vincent’s forehead.

Vincent whispered in her ear. "Squeeze my hands."

Catherine squeezed lightly and Vincent smiled at her continued attempt to keep her pain from him. Father dabbed at the worst part of her back and Catherine moaned squeezing Vincent’s hands with incredible power. Vincent felt a low growl escape him.

Father shot him a disapproving look. Vincent blushed and shook his head, his eyes offering an apology. Father realized Vincent couldn’t control his impulse to protect and nodded understandingly to his son then continued cleaning the area.

Vincent lowered his head next to Catherine while she held his hands. He was surprised how much pressure Catherine was exerting on his hands and he realized it was actually beginning to hurt as her nails dug into his flesh. Father finally stepped back and nodded.

Vincent leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I think the worst part is over...Are you okay?"

Catherine nodded as tears fell onto their clasped hands. Vincent looked up and found a box of tissue on a nearby table. Mary saw his intent and scooted it closer to where he could reach it. Vincent smiled his thanks, grabbed a few and handed them to Catherine.

She took them and dabbed carefully at her eyes and nose. Father finally stood up and nodded approvingly at his work. "Okay, that’s it for now. Mary, we can’t wrap gauze around this so what would you think if we took a surgical cloth and taped it to her rib cage? The tape would not touch the burned areas and the cloth would absorb any fluids and keep the area dry as well as protect it from the fibers of her clothing..."

Mary nodded. "That’s a fine idea. I can take care of that as soon as you two leave." She turned to Vincent. "Did you bring me a gown?"

Vincent squeezed Catherine’s hands and stood. "Yes, it’s in the other room, but what about Catherine’s legs?"

Father’s eyebrows rose. "Her legs? Don’t tell me her legs have been burned as well?" Father looked at Catherine who nodded her confirmation. Father rolled his eyes and sighed. "Vincent, wait in the other room while I examine her."

Vincent left and Father examined Catherine’s thighs and calves. "Well, they’re burned but not nearly as severe as your back. I’ll give you some cream to apply and just try to keep them moisturized." He stood. "Now, can I give you something for the pain?"

Catherine shook her head. "No, it’s bad but I’m okay."

Father looked closely at her eyes then decided she was telling the truth. "I can give you some ibuprofen, that’s relatively mild."

"I took some this morning before I came down."

Father nodded. "Okay, when I check you again in a few hours, I’ll give you another dosage. Now, let me leave and Mary will get you bandaged up so to speak and help you put on the gown Vincent found."

Catherine smiled weakly. "Thank you, Father."

He smiled back and came forward and kissed her forehead. "You’re welcome my dear."

Mary came around the corner with the gown from Vincent so Father left the room while she busied herself helping Catherine.

Vincent sat at the table looking forlorn. He looked up apologetically as his father joined him.

"Father...I’m sorry...I."

With a smile, Father reached forward and patted his hand. "Let me guess...you don’t know what came over you. Vincent, it’s natural to want to protect the ones you love from being hurt. I understand, forget about it." Vincent nodded gratefully and squeezed his father’s arm. "Now what do you and Catherine have planned for today?"

Vincent shrugged. "We were going to have a picnic by the falls but..."

Father smiled. "That sounds relaxing. A nice quite day is just what the doctor ordered."

"So its okay, Catherine is well enough to go?"

"Yes. Bring an extra blanket in case she gets chilled but I think she will be fine."

Catherine and Mary came from around the corner. Catherine looked beautiful in the same gown she had worn the very first time she had been down here. She smiled at Vincent. "You kept this?"

He shrugged shyly and looked down. Mary winked at Catherine. "Yes, just in case he found another woman in the park that needed rescuing."

Seeing Mary’s look, Father chuckled. "Yes, he always brought things from the world Above for me to save. Young birds barely covered with feathers, abandoned kittens, a baby bunny...I never thought it would turn into women."

Vincent’s head snapped up. "I would never bring another woman..."

He stopped as he realized he was being teased.

Catherine chuckled and put her arms around his waist. "That’s comforting to hear."

Mary waved her arms. "Okay, you two need to shoosh...I need to clean up in here and Catherine?" Mary looked at her. "In a few hours, we’ll need to see you again."

Father nodded in agreement. "After lunch. Perhaps Mary could show you were you may take a bath. I am sure a nice long soak will do wonders for your skin. Then perhaps we can apply some cream to it to help with the tenderness."

Vincent reached for her hand. "Come, Catherine. I had William prepare a picnic. If you feel up to it we’ll head to the Chamber of the Falls."

***********************

Vincent and Catherine spent a leisurely morning reading and talking by the falls. Close to the noon hour, Vincent’s stomach grumbled loudly.

Catherine giggled. "I’m getting hungry too. Should we eat now?"

Vincent opened the basket and Catherine helped him spread the meal out on the blanket. They enjoyed William’s feast of meats and cheeses, soup and bread. Cold water was nearby and at Father’s insistence, Catherine opted for that instead of tea.

After lunch, Vincent put his head back against the rock and closed his eyes. Catherine looked over at him and smiled. "Vincent, lie down and use my lap for a pillow."

Vincent’s head shot up and he looked at her in shock, not believing what he had heard. "What?"

"I said lie down, put your head on my lap and use it as a pillow."

"Catherine, I...I"

Catherine smiled and pulled on his arm. "C’mon I won’t bite, I promise."

Vincent hesitated then allowed her to pull him down. She placed his head on her lap and then picked up the book. As she read, she absently ran her fingers through his hair.

Vincent was wound as tight as a coil but gradually came to relax and enjoy himself. His eyes drifted close and he fell into a light sleep. Catherine continued to read. She smiled down at him as he seemed to be enjoying himself. About an hour later, her back began to hurt again. She realized that it was well after the time she was due to see Father.

"Vincent?"

Vincent rolled over and buried his face against her knee. "Hmmm."

"Vincent, wake up..."

Vincent sighed and snuggled closer to her. She smiled as he slowly came awake. The realization of her discomfort had him shoot up and look at her in horror. "Catherine, are you okay?"

She raised her hand and caressed his cheek. "Vincent, I’m fine. But I’m late for my appointment with Father."

He blinked a few times and tried to wake up. "And your back’s starting to hurt again..."

Catherine nodded. "Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to have to wake you."

"It’s I who should be sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep."

"You keep longer hours than I do. You must have needed the sleep."

Vincent stood and dusted the dirt off his legs. "I hope Father is as forgiving as you."

Catherine giggled and helped him clean up from their morning together. They walked hand in hand to the hospital chamber.

***********************

Father and Mary were enjoying tea when Vincent and Catherine entered the room.

Father looked up gruffly. "You’re quite late!"

Catherine blushed and in her haste to explain why they were late, blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "I know. I’m sorry. Vincent laid his head on my lap while I read and he fell asleep. He looked so peaceful I hated to wake him."

Vincent’s jaw dropped open and he looked quickly at the floor, covering his face behind a curtain of hair. Father hid a smirk while Mary stood up gleefully.

"He is quite handsome when he’s sleeping isn’t he?" She took Catherine’s arm and started to lead her away while she continued. "You should have seen him as a baby he was quite the looker..."

Her voice grew faint as they disappeared into the outer corridors. Father looked at Vincent who appeared to be looking for a hole to crawl into.

He took mercy on him and decided to let his son know he understood. "I remember doing much the same thing one day when Margaret and I enjoyed a day in the park." He looked over at Vincent who was raising his head with curiosity. Father looked away before Vincent could catch him and he continued with his story. "We had brought a picnic basket and I stuffed myself silly trying to show her how much I enjoyed the meal she prepared. I stretched out on my back on the grass and placed my head into her lap. She was running her fingers through my hair and I only closed my eyes for the briefest of moments and found myself waking an hour later. Margaret said my snoring scared away all the squirrels."

Father chuckled quietly then looked at Vincent. Vincent smiled appreciatively then nodded his head. "At least I didn’t chase away any squirrels."

Father laughed. "No probably just a Mouse."

"A mouse?"

"Yes, I sent Mouse to look for you earlier, he never returned."

"I am sorry, Father."

Father waved his hand dismissively. "Vincent, I’m not so old that I don’t remember what it is to be in love. Mary and I visited while we waited for your return. Mary was taking Catherine to one of the heated bath chambers. Hopefully a long soak will soften some of the dead skin and we can clean it and reapply ointment with much less pain to Catherine."

"Perhaps while she’s soaking, I’ll prepare a place for her to rest. She should take some more ibuprofen then lie down. We had planned on going to a concert in the park tonight. I hope she feels up to it."

Father shrugged. "I’m sure if she rests this afternoon she’ll be ready."

Vincent left to prepare a bed in one of the guest chambers. As long as he was going to have to walk to the laundry chamber, he quickly changed the sheets on his own bed. He walked with his arms full of dirty linen and dumped them in the baskets in the empty laundry chamber.

On his way back to Catherine, a call came for him over the pipes. He listened and with a sigh, headed to fix a burst water pipe on Level 8.

Catherine soaked in the bath for a long time. Loose skin from broken blisters hung from her back as she gently used a back scrubber to loosen them. Mary came in and helped her get what she missed. Catherine got out of the bath and pulled a towel around herself as Mary showed her to a better lighted area of the chamber.

Mary motioned for her to turn around and nodded. "Hmmm, looks clean. Let me apply some of this ointment. Perhaps Father can look at it again tonight before you go home."

Catherine smiled. "Okay, thanks for all your help. I really didn’t mean for you to have more work. You have so much to do down here without me adding more. How can I make it up to you?"

Mary waved her hand. "Nonsense, you don’t need to do anything..."

Catherine shook her head. "Mary! I tell you what...if you weren’t with me right now where would you be?"

"I would be reading to the three and four year olds."

"Okay, next week. I’m going to read to the group and you’re going to have an hour to take a relaxing bath. Do we have a deal?"

Mary laughed. "Okay, it’s a deal."

Mary finished with the ointment and put a protective cloth on her back again. Catherine slipped into her gown and the two women left the chamber together. Mary headed to the nursery, Catherine headed for the library, assuming Vincent waited for her there.

*******************************

Father looked up and smiled as Catherine entered the library.

"You look better."

Catherine sat in a chair opposite him and smiled. "I feel better, Father. Thank you so much for helping me today."

Father reached over and felt her brow. He grunted approvingly at the lack of fever evident. "Well, I could give you another dose of ibuprofen. I would imagine it’s still painful."

Catherine nodded. "There’s a constant dull ache. I hope it goes away by tonight, Vincent and I were planning on attending a concert in the park."

Father stood and walked to his desk and grabbed the medicine bottle. He handed Catherine two tablets. He poured her a glass of water and she obediently took the medicine.

"Good girl. Vincent was called away to fix a burst water pipe. It may be a few hours. Why don’t you try to get some rest? I believe he fixed up the guest chamber for you."

"That does sound good right now. I left my bag in Vincent’s chamber. I’ll get it and go lie down for awhile." Catherine stood and leaned over and kissed Father’s cheek. "Thank you."

Father blushed and smiled as she walked out.

**************************************

Catherine walked into Vincent’s chamber and stood as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. As she walked across the dark room, she stubbed her toe on a chair and sat down on the bed. She slipped her shoe off and started to rub her aching foot. With a sigh, she glanced around the room and at the inviting pillows at the other end of the bed. With a shrug, she slipped off her second shoe and crawled to the head of the bed. She glanced down and saw Vincent’s cloak. She reached to grab it, covering herself with it as she lay her head down on his pillow. Vincent’s cloak around her, she cocooned herself with his unique smell and snuggled into the warmth. She drifted to sleep, pretending she was wrapped in his arms.

Three hours later, a wet and muddy Vincent headed into the library.

"Father, the repairs have been completed."

Father grinned at his son’s appearance. "Good, good! By the looks of you it was no small job."

Vincent chuckled. "It took Kanin, Cullen, Mouse and I this long to fix it." He looked around the room. "You don’t know where Catherine is, do you? I know she’s sleeping but I checked the guest chamber and she’s not there."

Mary came in carrying a small basket. "I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I’ve just come from your chamber. I went to drop off your laundry and Catherine is sound asleep in your bed. I took the liberty of grabbing you a change of clothes. I knew you would want to bathe after this afternoon’s unexpected work detail."

Vincent took the basket Mary handed to him. "Thank you, Mary. I wonder if I’ll have time for a bath before she wakes up."

Mary patted his cheek. "Dear, she was sound asleep. She must be exhausted from all the pain she’s suffered through between last night and today. Take your bath!"

Vincent nodded. "If she wakes..."

Father rolled his eyes. "I am sure we can entertain Catherine for a half hour or so until you join us. You know, she doesn’t only come Below to see you."

Vincent blushed then turned to the bathing chamber as Father and Mary chuckled behind him.

After his half hour bath, Vincent peeked into his chamber. His heart flipped in his chest as he looked in on Catherine. She was snuggled down on his bed covered by his cloak and still sound asleep.

Two hours later, Vincent was sitting in the library playing chess with Father. Through the bond he felt a faint flutter and knew Catherine was slowly starting to wake. Raising his hand, he quickly moved his bishop across the board and ended the game.

"Check and mate."

Father scowled as he looked down at the board. "How did you...I never saw...damn!"

Vincent chuckled. "Sorry, Father. I gave you ample time to see it. The move has been there through at least two turns."

"Humph!" Father grumbled.

"Catherine is waking. I’m going to check on her."

In one fluid motion, Vincent stood and left the room and headed to his chamber.

 

***************************

He peeked in a saw Catherine roll to her back. With a grimace, she quickly continued to roll over and face the chamber. She bent her head and looked at the doorway.

"You’re back."

Vincent came forward. "Yes, for several hours now."

Catherine sighed. "I’m sorry. I was just so tired. I came in here for my bag and stubbed my toe. I took off my shoe to rub it and then next thing I knew I was asleep."

Vincent sat in the chair close to the bed. "You needed the rest. You obviously didn’t get any sleep last night."

Catherine covered her mouth as she yawned. "No, I didn’t."

"Do you feel better?"

"Mmmm, much better thank you."

"It’s almost time for dinner."

Surprised, Catherine sat up. "What time is it?"

"After 5:00."

"Vincent, I slept over four hours?"

"Yes."

Catherine groaned and removed his cloak as she scooted to the end of the bed. "Do we have time to eat and get to the concert?"

Vincent nodded as he handed her shoes to her. "Yes, we can enjoy dinner then perhaps Father would check your back. Since we’ll be so close, after the concert, I’ll walk you home. Unless you’d rather stay here."

Catherine blinked in surprise, trying to clear the sleep from her mind. "In your chamber?"

Vincent gasped, stood up and backed a few steps away from her. "No...I...meant...Below."

Catherine nodded quickly. "Of course you did. I don’t know why I thought..." Inwardly she answered to herself. ‘I know why, because for the last 4 hours I pretended that I was wrapped in your arms.’

She smiled at him as she patted his arm. "I’ll go home. I want to call Jenny and see how she made out at the doctor. She was in the same shape as I earlier."

Catherine reached up and fluffed her hair then followed Vincent as he headed to the library.

"Father, Catherine and I are headed to dinner..."

Peter popped his head around the corner and Vincent stopped as he extended his hand. "Peter, it’s good to see you."

Peter shook his hand. "Good evening, Vincent. Where’s our little patient?"

Catherine came out from behind Vincent. "Hi, Peter."

"There’s my girl! Funny, I saw Jenny Aaronson at the hospital today and she mentioned that you were coming to see me. Have I been replaced?"

Catherine knew he was teasing and couldn’t help joining in. "Not at all. I just knew that Father has so much more experience with sunburn I thought he would be the better choice."

Father chuckled while Vincent raised his brows with amusement and smiled.

Peter pretended offense. "Well, Jacob here has suggested a second opinion. What do you think?"

Catherine shrugged. "I’m at your mercy! Anything anyone can do to make me feel better..."

Peter shook his head. "Short of trying skin grafts...I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you have to suffer this one out, kid. Father’s told me everything he’s done and there’s not much more to offer. How about if we take a look at it before dinner?"

Catherine turned to Vincent who nodded. She looked back. "Okay."

Peter guided her to the hospital chamber and Father and he examined her back. Catherine could hear them grunting and she felt an occasional poke to her back but that was all.

"You two aren’t very forthcoming with information are you?"

Peter sighed. "It’s a bad burn, but it looks like it’s going to heal nicely. Couple days from now it’ll probably start peeling and itching. But most of the blisters are popped and I think you’re on your way to a full recovery."

Father put cream on her back and covered her with the cloth as she helped tape it to her ribs.

"Good idea, Jacob."

Father shrugged. "Necessity is the mother of invention." He tapped Catherine’s back. "You can get dressed now, dear."

Father and Peter walked around the curtain ignoring their patient as Catherine got herself dressed. She smiled, realizing they had just dismissed her. She mumbled to herself. "I bet Mary would’ve helped me get dressed."

Vincent’s voice floated round the corner. "Catherine, did you say something?"

She blushed. "No, I’m..." She grunted as she pulled the dress over her head. "Ugh, almost...Ahhh...Done."

Catherine came around the corner as she tried to straighten out her dress. "There. I’m ready."

She smiled up as he looked down at her with amusement, guessing correctly what her problem was. "They left you to dress yourself?"

Catherine chuckled as she shook her head. "Individually they are great doctors, together they forget about their patient."

In that instant, Father hurriedly came back into the room. "My dear, Catherine. I forgot about your needing help..." He came to a stop. "Oh, you handled it alone...good I needn’t have worried..."

Catherine, feeling quite devilish, looked at him seriously. "Actually Father when you and Peter left me alone I couldn’t manage on my own. Vincent needed to come and helped me pull the gown over my head..."

Both men gasped. Father looked at his son as Vincent looked away. Fumbling for words, he continued. "I’m sorry, Peter and I walked away and I...Vincent, you shouldn’t have...I mean what if..."

"Father, I didn’t..."

Father looked at Catherine who had crossed her arms in front of her and looked at him quite innocently until she could stand it no more and her face broke out into a grin.

"Gotcha! But you and Peter have got to work on your bedside manner!"

Father blushed. "I am sorry."

Catherine came up and took his arm. "I’ll forgive you if you escort me to dinner."

Father chuckled and patted her hand as she rested it on his arm. Vincent followed behind them, letting his mind wander to the implications of having to help Catherine get dressed. He moaned in distress.

Father called out over his shoulder. "Vincent, what’s wrong."

"Oh, I...hit my hand against the wall. It’s nothing."

Knowing Vincent’s mind was elsewhere, Peter chuckled as Father reprimanded him. "Well, try to be more careful."

Catherine looked back at Vincent clearly wondering what had really happened.

****************************

Dinner was a lovely affair and Vincent and Catherine sat back and enjoyed the company of their family and friends. The hour passed and it would be time for them to leave to go to their spot in the tunnels where they would listen to the concert in the park.

Catherine settled down gingerly on the cushions Vincent placed around her. Soon enough, he sat next to her. Catherine reached into her bag and retrieved the bottle of wine. Vincent raised his eyes in surprise.

"Wine, Catherine?"

"I know. I’ve never seen you drink it except for Winterfest but I thought that since this was a special occasion..."

Vincent looked even more surprised as his mind flooded with important dates he could have forgotten. "Catherine, I’m sorry, I don’t remember what occasion is it?"

Catherine laughed. "Why should you? I just made it up. Let me see...um...this is our fifth concert in the park...will that do?"

Vincent shook his head as he took the bottle from her. "Perhaps another night. You have taken some medicine."

"Ooh, you’re right. I should have thought of that. We’ll save this bottle for another time. But...I do have dessert!"

Catherine brought out a bag of candy and unwrapped a piece of chocolate. Without thinking, she popped it into Vincent’s mouth. He blinked in surprise as he blushed.

Catherine ignored his embarrassment as she nonchalantly unwrapped another piece. "Is it good?"

Vincent nodded as she popped it into her mouth and settled back against the wall. "Ouch!" She winced in pain as she sat up again.

Vincent leaned back against the wall. Shyly he looked over at her as he put his arm up in the air, giving her a place to lean up against him.

Catherine smiled as she scooted her backside against his hip and leaned back into his chest. "Much better, thank you."

Vincent’s arm dangled in the air and Catherine brought it down around her waist, their clasped hands resting in her lap. The music started and they were soon taken away into a magical world as the sounds drifted to them from Above.

An hour and a half later, the orchestra quieted then started again for a last encore. Catherine had snuggled closer to Vincent and laid her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as she tuned into the orchestra.

Finally all was silent in the world Above. Distant voices carried to them from far away as people left the park.

"Vincent, it was wonderful tonight."

"Yes."

"Thank you for bringing me here."

"That you could find joy in this place fills me with wonder..."

"Vincent, this is a wonderful spot, I told you that before and I meant it."

Vincent shrugged. "I should get you home."

He stood and turned to help her up. Catherine grimaced as the gown shifted on her burns.

"Do you need to see, Father?"

"No, Peter promised to come by in the morning. I’ll probably head to bed and try to sleep some more."

Vincent packed up the blankets and cushions then led the way towards her threshold. They held hands and slowly walked the tunnels, enjoying the last few minutes of their night together.

At the threshold, Catherine turned to face him. "Thanks for helping me salvage this day. I had fun."

"I too, enjoyed the time we spent together. Perhaps we can do it again tomorrow."

Catherine smiled. "I’ll come down around lunch?"

Vincent nodded. "Goodnight, Catherine."

Catherine sighed. "I wish you could hug me."

Vincent stepped forward and gently surrounded her with his arms. His hair enclosed her face which was close to his neck and Catherine sighed contentedly.

She leaned in and kissed his exposed neck as he jumped back. She stepped away and smiled coyly. "Goodnight, Vincent."

She headed up the steps as he stood there. Eventually, he came to his senses and headed towards his chamber.

**************************

Catherine woke to someone knocking at her front door. She groggily looked at the alarm clock. It was only 8:30 in the morning. She looked out through the peephole and saw Peter.

Peter walked in as the door was opened. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Catherine groaned. "I’m awake."

"Sorry to come by so early but I have another call to make. Jenny’s in real trouble. She had an allergic reaction to the medicine the intern prescribed in the emergency room. I’m heading over there next. Her family’s out of town and I wondered..."

Catherine had snapped awake immediately when Peter talked of Jenny’s problems and interrupted him. "Of course I’ll go with you, Peter."

"You take a quick shower and I’ll get your back fixed up then we’ll head over together."

Catherine ran towards her bedroom as she called out over her shoulder. "Could you start a pot of coffee?"

Peter smiled and headed towards the kitchen as Catherine showered. Ten minutes later, Catherine stood with her head in a towel waiting for Peter to apply cream to her back. That done she ran and combed out her hair and slipped into a loose shirt and pants.

Peter handed her a travel mug full of coffee and they were on their way out the door.

Peter looked at Catherine’s still damp hair, her gray sweat pants and pink top and began to chuckle. "Not quite the fashion diva you used to be."

Catherine laughed. "Thank God! I think my priorities are a little more down to earth now."

Knowing she referred to the world Below, Peter threw back his head as they laughed together. The cab driver looked at them curiously as he made his way to Jenny’s.

**********************************

Jenny opened the door and greeted them with a tearful smile. "Thanks for coming."

Peter hissed at the welts that covered Jenny’s face and neck and the exposed areas that he could see.

"Are the hives all over your body?"

Jenny nodded. "Pretty much."

Peter grimaced and reached into his bag. "Well, first thing I recommend is taking some of these."

He opened the bottle and took out two tablets and handed them to her while Catherine ran to get a glass of water. Jenny took the water from Catherine and swallowed the medicine.

Peter pointed at the bathroom. "Now I want you to take a long bath and soak in the tub for at least forty minutes. Did you sleep in your bed last night?"

"Yes."

Peter turned to Catherine. "Her sheets will need to be changed. Do you think you can handle it?"

Catherine nodded. "Of course. It may take me awhile but I should be able to do it."

"Okay, off you two go."

Jenny miserably headed for the bathroom. Catherine finished changing the sheets when Jenny stepped out of the bathroom.

"Feel better?"

Jenny shook her head. "Honestly? No."

Catherine held up a sheet. "Wrap up in this sheet. Peter will need to see your back anyway." Jenny turned around and Catherine wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, I wonder if that’s what mine looks like. I can’t believe I let..."

Catherine gasped as she realized she was about to say that she couldn’t believe she let Vincent see her like that.

Jenny turned around. "You can’t believe what? That we did this to ourselves?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to say. C’mon let’s show Peter your back."

Jenny stood in front of Peter as he administered antibacterial ointment to her entire back. The hives had made Jenny’s burn itch like mad and the blisters she had were all broken open.

Peter tisked his disapproval. "Both of you girls have done a number on your backs. Cathy, yours is doing pretty well but Jenny here will need several applications of medicine...Why don’t you both take it easy for the day and spend it together?"

Jenny smiled through the tears. "Oh, Cath! Will you spend the day with me? We can watch old movies and eat ice cream?"

Catherine thought of Vincent but knew she couldn’t disappoint Jenny. She needed her help and Catherine would be there for her. "Sure, Jen. It sounds like fun."

Jenny went to get dressed while Peter packed up his bag. Catherine glanced to make sure Jenny couldn’t heart her then leaned into Peter. "Could you get word to Vincent that I can’t come Below? Just tell him what happened, he’ll understand."

Peter nodded and whispered back. "I’m heading Below now. One of the kids is still having trouble with his tonsils."

Jenny came in the room. Peter kissed Catherine on the cheek and then turned to Jenny. He handed her a bottle of the ointment and then kissed her cheek as well. "This stuff goes on every couple of hours. Okay?"

Both girls nodded. Peter opened the door and turned as he walked outside. "Okay, you kids have fun."

"Bye, Peter."

"Thanks, Peter."

Jenny and Catherine headed to the couch and Jenny popped in a DVD of "Gone With The Wind."

Catherine laughed as it started. "Wow, you picked a long movie!"

Jenny shrugged. "We’ve got all day."

Catherine wrinkled her nose. "I know but I’m hungry. What have you got to eat?"

"Not much, I was supposed to go shopping today. I have a big bag of Oreo cookies."

"Mmmm...Milk?"

Jenny laughed. "Oh, yeah!"

Catherine ran into the kitchen and poured two big glasses of milk. She grabbed the bag of cookies and started to turn when she decided to look in the freezer. On the door was a quart of mint chocolate chip ice cream. She grabbed it and got two spoons out from the kitchen drawer. She found a cutting board leaning against the wall behind the toaster and started piling everything on top of it. She carried the makeshift tray out to the living room.

"Jackpot! You have ice cream too."

Jenny laughed. "That was for my neighbor’s daughter, she was supposed to come over today. I had to cancel."

Catherine grinned wickedly. "More for us...start the movie."

The two friends ate until they were sick and then cried as the trials of Scarlet O’Hara unfurled on the screen. The movie ended and Catherine stood up to stretch. She groaned as her skin pulled tight against her back.

Jenny grimaced as well as she stood up. "What a pair we are! Thank god we have no Rhett Butler’s in our lives to see how stupid we were."

Catherine chuckled and agreed with her friend but thought of Vincent and how sympathetic he had been.

"C’mon, Jen. Peter said we need to put this medicine on your back every couple of hours. That movie was at least three hours long, We should each take some ibuprofen, too."

They each took their medicine then Jenny stripped off her shirt. Catherine gasped at her friend’s raw skin. It looked horrible and painful. She cleaned it off as best as she could then applied the cream Peter supplied. Jenny moaned with relief when the cooling sensation finally took effect.

Catherine helped her put her top on as Jenny cried out in pain. "Sorry, Jen. You okay?"

"Yeah, Man it hurts!"

"I know."

Jenny motioned. "Your turn. Turn around and I’ll apply some on your back."

Catherine stripped off her shirt and turned around. "Gently..."

"I know." Jenny carefully applied the cream. "Cath, your back looks like it’s starting to get better. I bet it starts peeling in a couple of days."

"Oh great, there’s nothing better than an itchy back and no one to scratch it."

Jenny laughed. "Use the corner of the wall, that’s what I do."

Catherine shrugged. "What should we do now?"

"Another movie?"

Catherine sighed and headed to the couch. "What else you got?"

Jenny dug out another romance and the two friends sat and watched. Jenny fell asleep and Catherine snuggled down and pictured her and Vincent as the leads in the movie. It wasn’t long before she joined Jenny in sleep.

 

**********************************

Peter had gone Below and informed Vincent of Catherine’s change of plans. Both he and Father expressed concern over Jenny’s well being and were grateful that she had someone like Catherine to watch after her.

Peter and Father handled the tonsil emergency. Peter concurred with Father’s diagnosis. He promised to come and help with surgery in a few days.

They came back to the library to sit with Vincent. After a few hours of visiting, Peter stood to leave.

"I guess I should check on my two patients Above."

Vincent cocked his head and smiled shyly. "They’re sleeping...or rather Catherine is..."

Peter grinned. "Well, maybe I’ll check on them later. I’ll see you Wednesday, Jacob, if Kyle’s tonsils get any worse call for me."

"I will. Thank you, Peter."

***********************************

Catherine and Jenny slept well through the afternoon. Jenny woke and stretched her leg and bumped Catherine’s thigh. Catherine woke and at once noticed the lateness of the hour.

"Another day, wasted."

Jenny chuckled. "Yeah, I had so much to do today."

Catherine nodded in agreement then sighed. "Well, should we order something in for dinner? After that I’ll need to head home."

Jenny ordered salads as well as manicotti and garlic bread from an Italian place down the block. She hung up the phone and looked at Catherine. "It’ll be here in an hour."

Catherine smiled. "Okay. Hey, why don’t you go take another shower and let the water clean your back? Then I’ll reapply the cream for you, this way after we’re done eating, I can head home right away."

Jenny nodded and left to shower while Catherine watched the news. Half an hour later, Jenny sat in front of her while Catherine applied the cream.

"Thanks, Cathy. I left a shirt out for you. You can take a shower too and I’ll apply cream to your back."

Catherine nodded. "Okay, be out in a minute."

Jenny got out plates and silverware for their dinner. She placed wine glasses out as well and uncorked a bottle of red wine she had in her wine rack.

Catherine came out and Jenny slathered her back with cream. Catherine went to dress and heard Jenny answer the front door. Their dinner had arrived.

The two friends ate dinner while they talked and joked over every topic under the sun. Catherine had a wonderful time. It had been years since she and Jenny spent this much time together.

Two hours later, Catherine insisted she had to head home. "Jen, I’ve got to be at work tomorrow."

"How can you think of putting on a bra?"

Catherine laughed. "I’m thinking of wearing a jacket to cover up for the fact that I’m not going to have one on."

Jenny laughed. "Good idea. Maybe I’ll try that."

Jenny walked her to the door. "Thanks for spending the day with me, Cath."

Catherine started to leave then stopped. "What will you do tomorrow?"

"My mom comes home in the morning...I’ll ask her to come here and then I’ll stop by her house after work. What about you?"

Catherine waved her hand. "I’ll stop by Peter’s office in the morning then see how I feel tomorrow night."

Jenny nodded. "Take care."

"You too, Jen. Goodnight."

***********************************

The next morning, Catherine did stop by Peter’s office. He took care of her back and then she put in an astonishing long day at work.

Late that night, she wearily let herself into her apartment. She blinked in surprise to see a shadow moving on her balcony. She walked quickly out the terrace doors.

"Vincent!"

"Catherine, you worked late tonight."

"I didn’t know you were coming..."

He shook his head. "Neither did I. I was delivering some medicine to a helper when I felt your discomfort. How are you feeling?"

Catherine sighed. "Tired."

"And Jenny?"

"I talked to her before I left work, her mom’s taking care of her."

Vincent looked at her sternly. "Who’s taking care of you?"

Catherine chuckled. "Peter did this morning. I was going to come Below then Joe handed me some new information for the Garver case and then..." She sighed. "And then I looked up and it was 9:45. Joe walked me out the door and I was too tired or I would have come Below to see Father."

"How’s your back?"

Catherine shrugged. "Its better...I guess...couple of times my shirt stuck to it but it’s not as painful as it used to be." She thought quietly for a minute then looked at him. "If you’re not in a hurry could you wait around for about twenty minutes?"

Vincent smiled. "I can be here all night if that’s what you wish."

After the words left his mouth, he realized how it sounded. He blushed and looked away. Catherine smirked and was about to tease him and say ‘another time’ but she chose to ignore his comment and not embarrass him further.

"I was thinking I could take a quick shower and if you wouldn’t mind, maybe you could put cream on my back again?"

Vincent looked uncomfortable but nodded. "Of course, Catherine. If it will help you."

Catherine jumped. "Be back in a little bit. Can I get you some tea?"

Vincent smiled coyly. "Do you have any chocolate left?"

Catherine grinned and ran into her kitchen and grabbed the bag in the fridge. She ran back out and handed it to him. "They’ll be cold but it takes longer to melt in your mouth."

Vincent took the bag from her and nodded while she turned and headed to the shower. Fifteen minutes later she was out and standing in front of Vincent in the same backless gown she wore the other night.

Vincent carefully applied the lotion to her back. "There’s been some improvement."

"Good, I was wondering how much longer I would have to suffer for my stupidity."

Catherine’s phone rang and she looked over at it ruefully. She let the machine pick it up as she heard Joe’s voice asking if she was home and safe.

Vincent stood. "Call him back, Catherine. I need to get Below to tell Father about the progress of Lyle, the helper I took medicine to. Besides, you should rest."

Catherine looked up hopefully. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

Vincent shook his head. "I have sentry duty all night. The next night there is another concert in the park..."

Catherine thought for a second then smiled. "I don’t have anything going. It’s a date!"

Vincent shyly nodded then turned to leave when Catherine grabbed his arm. "Can I get a hug?"

Vincent chuckled and turned to her and gently enfolded her in his arms.

"Tighter, Vincent."

"Catherine...I don’t want to hurt you."

"I can’t even feel your arms. I tell you when..." Vincent tightened his embrace and Catherine snuggled in. When his arms got too close to her burn she laughed. "When."

Vincent stopped immediately and held her close then he backed away slowly. "Goodnight, Catherine."

"Goodnight, see you Wednesday."

**********************************

Catherine had two hectic days at work. By Wednesday, she was exhausted but looking forward to her night with Vincent. She ran home and showered then started to get ready. Her back was starting to itch and she could see in the mirror that her skin was peeling.

She tried to scratch it with a letter opener but nothing she picked up could reach the spot she wanted. She looked at the corner of the wall and shimmied up against it, scratching her back against it. The relief was short lived.

With a sigh, Catherine glanced at the clock and headed Below. Vincent was waiting at the threshold and they held hands and made small talk on the way to their spot.

They settled down just as the music was starting. Catherine leaned back against the rock wall and every once in a while rocked back and forth against it, scratching at her back.

Vincent looked at her curiously until Catherine rocked continuously and he could contain his curiosity no longer.

"Catherine, what are you doing?"

Catherine blushed as she realized he had noticed. "Vincent, my back itches so badly."

He cocked his head. "Can I help?"

"Will you scratch it for me?"

"With what?"

Catherine raised her eyebrows. "With your nails, of course."

Vincent gasped. "With these hands? Catherine, I could seriously hurt you."

Catherine shook her head. "I’ve told you a million times, you could never hurt me..." She wriggled against the wall and pleaded with him. "Vincent! I’m going crazy here...please?"

Vincent let out the breath he was holding. "What do I have to do?"

"Go up under the back of my shirt and just gently run your nails over my back..."

He shook his head. "I don’t..."

Catherine interrupted his protest. "Just try it?"

Vincent reached up her shirt and put his hand on the place between her shoulders. He lightly began to move his hand back and forth.

Catherine groaned in ecstasy. "Oh God, that feels great! Can you move to the left?"

Vincent complied and Catherine groaned again. "Now to the right?" Again, Vincent complied and Catherine wriggled back against his hand, making him scratch harder.

Vincent listened to her through the bond to assess if he was hurting her in any way. He moved his hands to different areas on the back and she sat there in ecstasy.

"Vincent, remind me that I owe you this in return one day."

"Catherine, I’m not likely to get sunburned living Below."

Catherine looked over her shoulder. "Vincent, didn’t anyone ever just scratch your back for pleasure?"

Vincent blinked in surprise. He would never allow anyone to get that close to him and yet in the recesses of his mind he seemed to remember being a young boy and having Mary sitting on the bed next to him scratching his back. He remembered feeling safe and loved.

"Vincent?"

"I...don’t know..."

Catherine turned back and faced forward. "Well, one day I’m going to scratch your back forever...at least a whole hour."

Vincent shivered as he thought of what his back must look like compared to a ‘normal man’ and Catherine shivered as she thought about running her hands up and down his muscles. Both became uncomfortable with the turn their thoughts had taken and Vincent reluctantly pulled his hand away.

Catherine turned and smiled. "Thanks, that was perfect."

Vincent lowered his head and nodded.

The concert ended and Catherine and he headed back to her apartment threshold. Catherine turned and reached for him.

"Thanks for getting me through this past week. I don’t know how I would have done it without you."

"I’ll always be there for you, Catherine."

They hugged and as he released her Catherine reached up and kissed his cheek. She quickly turned away then each headed back to their homes.

Catherine walked home thinking that this week had brought them closer physically then any other time in her life. She marveled that she had been able to show him that his hands would never hurt her that they were in fact, nurturing. She chuckled, thinking that it would have never happened had she not gotten sunburned. "I guess that’s why they say all clouds have a silver lining."

She crawled into bed dreaming of giving Vincent the back rub of a lifetime.

 

 

THE END